


This Sunset, With You

by tauhou



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Future Fic, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-23 10:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tauhou/pseuds/tauhou
Summary: Just a moment outside the Woolpack on their way home.Not much to this, but I kinda liked the mood, so here it is.





	This Sunset, With You

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's warm in the northern hemisphere about now, but it's cold and dark where I am. Set later this year so it makes more sense with the northern seasons.

Charity sticks her head out from the warmth of the Woolpack's door. "Hey, Ness. Are you coming in, or wot?"

Ness is standing out by the car with her back to her, gazing up at the sky.

"Yeah." She says, gently. "In a sec. Just looking at all this gorgeousness."

Charity huffs through her nose. Ness is doing that thing again. That thing where she gets caught up in some soft wee thing, like ducks bobbing about in a stream, or bugs on a flower, or baby goats doing anything at all really, from bouncing about a bit to just standing doing literally nothing. She knows Ness will be in soon enough, to help put away the shopping and get the boys settled for tea. She could just leave it, and get on with the chores, but she wants to know what's so special that it can catch Ness and hold her outside in the cold. She scoots over behind her wife, sneaking her hands around Ness's body warmer and dropping her chin onto the smaller woman's shoulder.

"See." She says, in that happy voice that still takes Charity by surprise when it's directed at her. She's smiling at the sky, her hands coming out of her pockets and catching her own, the subtle clink as their rings meet in passing.

"I see the sun going down babe, an way too early, because it's the arse end of autumn. And one thing I do know is the sun going down is going to mean it's going to get really cold out here." She nudges the back of Ness's ear with her nose. "Which you might think is a cunning plan to try to get me to warm you up later but, you know, it will just make me insist you have a bath before bed to warm up your feet." She squeezes Ness's hands, pulling the two of them closer together.

"Have another look." Ness is patient. Again.

Charity looks, but just sees manky-looking clouds above them and clear sky down the valley in the general direction of Liverpool. Nothing worth stopping for and staring at. She squints at the sky. Nothing magical.

Ness leans back into her a touch and points at the sky. "The sun must be low enough that its light is sneaking right in under the cloud from the horizon. Can you see, how the light is hitting it from below over there? The shadows are being cast up into the clouds, instead of down like they usually would." She hunches her shoulders a little with delight. "So we can still see the sunshine, even though we can't see the actual sun anymore cause it's set behind that hill. In't that amazing?"

She's right of course. That's why the cloud looks weird and grey and sandy-pink in the wrong places. She can't recall a view quite like it, despite all her years in this village. It's special, sort of, if you like meteorological curiosities. And just like Ness to notice.

"You're a weirdo." Charity says eventually, mumbling the words into her neck, trying to find a patch of skin above her collar.

"And you," Ness pats her hand, "are obviously into weirdos." Ness turns from the view she's been absorbed in and gives the taller woman a sparky look, the one that makes her eyes look a much deeper blue than usual - but still with a pointed glint in them. She reaches up and kisses her. And all Charity can think about is the light touch of her hand on her jaw, and the gentle inquiry of her lips, and all she can smell is the soft, warm smell of her mixed with the fresh sharpness of the cold.

This is her kind of gorgeous. Warm, and close and smiling in spite of herself. She leans in, and Ness gives slowly backward. She pulls back for a moment as they bump into the door of the car. Then one of Ness's hands runs up her thigh, pulling her closer as she hums quietly in appreciation. She tries to take the opportunity to catch Ness's eye, but her wife gets distracted by something over by the Woolly instead.

"Oh no." Her eyebrows lurch into a twist of concern. "You left the door wide open. Heat must be flooding out of it." She bustles out of Charity's arms and heads for the remaining bags of shopping. "Come on! Before the whole place is freezing and it takes all night to warm it up again."

Charity follows along a few meters behind, her lips still tingling, her hands feeling heavier than usual, a familiar warmth building in her chest at the sight of Ness hustling inside, her hair catching the light as it moves. "Yeah, well. I'm not perfect babe, am I?" she grumbles. "I will heat you up again though, if you like," she throws out with a grin as Ness turns in the doorway to look back at her. "Just say the word."

Ness runs her eyes up and down the length of Charity's body and pops her eyebrows up and down. "Might take you up on that. You know, when you've actually made it inside, instead of standing out there in the cold gawping." She shoots Charity a cheeky look before disappearing inside.

Charity smiles to herself as she picks up the last of the bags. Then turns, looks up at the sky.

Ness is right, unsurprisingly, it does look pretty spectacular. The pink is intensifying into a proper colour and the unusual angle of the light gives the village an otherworldly look, like they've secretly slipped into another dimension. One where the usual rules no longer apply, and she gets to head inside to her beautiful, loving wife and kids, and a glass of decent wine and a future, and a warm bed.

She must remember to thank Ness properly for it all later, for pointing out the sky, and the rest. When they have some time alone, and that warm bed is theirs for the night, and no one is going to come bothering them for a while. She hopes it's enough, for now at least.

And that somehow 'for now' keeps happening for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback welcome as always.


End file.
